The Defining Issue: Not Government's Size, but Who It's For) The defining political issue of 2012 won’t be the government’s size. It will be who government is for. Americans have never much liked government. After all, the nation was conceived in a revolution against government. But the surge of cynicism now engulfing America isn’t about government’s size. The cynicism comes from a growing perception that government isn’t working for average people. In a recent Pew Foundation poll, 77 percent of respondents said too much power is in the hands of a few rich people and corporations. That’s understandable. Wall Street got bailed out but homeowners caught in the fierce downdraft caused by the Street’s excesses have got almost nothing. Big agribusiness continues to rake in hundreds of billions in price supports and ethanol subsidies. American Airlines uses bankruptcy to ward off debtors and renegotiate labor contracts. Not a day goes by without Republicans decrying the budget deficit. The other big budgetary expense is national defense. Get it?
Eurokrise (nicht nur) für Dummies - Schuldenkrise in der EU - derStandard.at › Meinung Spiegel-TV am Sonntag: Da moderiert Maria Gresz den ersten Beitrag sinngemäß doch tatsächlich so an: "Verstehen Sie den Euro-Hebel, von dem jetzt alle reden? Nein? Ich auch nicht. Aber macht nichts, unsere Politiker ja auch nicht." Dann zeigt RTL ein paar kurze Aufnahmen von Bundestagsabgeordneten, die zwischen Tür und Angel abgefangen und in Verlegenheit gebracht wurden. Und dann ist der Beitrag aus. Umfangreiche Thematik mit Erklärungspflicht Ja, die Thematik ist umfangreich: Ein Gipfel jagt den anderen, ein Verhandlungsergebnis hebt das vorhergehende auf, ein Milliardenpaket folgt auf das nächste, Griechenland darf nicht in Konkurs gehen, bekommt aber einen Hair Cut, es gibt einen ESM und einen EFSF, die EZB und den IMF und die IIF, es gibt siebenundzwanzig Regierungen und Parlamente, die Entscheidungen treffen und mit verhandeln, und jetzt kommen auch noch die Chinesen. Ja, die Thematik ist sehr umfangreich. Wie der Euro passierte Der Stabilitäts- und Wachstumspakt
What If We Paid Off The Debt? The Secret Government Report : Planet Money Planet Money has obtained a secret government report outlining what once looked like a potential crisis: The possibility that the U.S. government might pay off its entire debt. It sounds ridiculous today. But not so long ago, the prospect of a debt-free U.S. was seen as a real possibility with the potential to upset the global financial system. We recently obtained the report through a Freedom of Information Act Request. The report is called "Life After Debt". This was seen in many ways as good thing. "It was a huge issue ... for not just the U.S. economy, but the global economy," says Diane Lim Rogers, an economist in the Clinton administration. The U.S. borrows money by selling bonds. But the U.S. has been issuing bonds for so long, and the bonds are seen as so safe, that much of the world has come to depend on them. Banks buy hundreds of billions of dollars' worth, because they're a safe place to park money. Mortgage rates are tied to the interest rate on U.S. treasury bonds.
The Corruption Of Our Entire Political Class Explained In One Paragraph Here Are The Four Charts That Explain What The Protesters Are Angry About... Last week, we published a chart-essay that illustrates the extreme inequality that has developed in the US economy over the past 30 years. The charts explain what the Wall Street protesters are angry about. They also explain why the protesters' message is resonating with the country at large. Here are the four key points: 1. Unemployment is at the highest level since the Great Depression (with the exception of a brief blip in the early 1980s). 2. 3. 4. Three charts illustrate this: The top earners are capturing a higher share of the national income than they have anytime since the 1920s: CEO pay and corporate profits have skyrocketed in the past 20 years, "production worker" pay has risen 4%. After adjusting for inflation, average earnings haven't increased in 50 years. It's worth noting that the US has been in a similar situation before: At the end of the "Roaring '20s," just before the start of the Great Depression. SEE ALSO: CHARTS: Here's What The Protesters Are So Angry About...
The Political Compass - US Presidential Election 2012 This is a US election that defies logic and brings the nation closer towards a one-party state masquerading as a two-party state. The Democratic incumbent has surrounded himself with conservative advisors and key figures — many from previous administrations, and an unprecedented number from the Trilateral Commission. He also appointed a former Monsanto executive as Senior Advisor to the FDA. He has extended Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, presided over a spiralling rich-poor gap and sacrificed further American jobs with recent free trade deals. As outrageous as it may appear, civil libertarians and human rights supporters would have actually fared better under a Republican administration. Democratic and, especially, some Republican candidates, will benefit massively from new legislation that permits them to receive unlimited and unaccountable funding. If Romney loses the election, it would hardly be devastating for mainstream Republicans. Last updated: Tuesday 26 November 2013
'Deadly Monopolies'? Patenting The Human Body In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that living, human-made microorganisms could be patented by their developers. The ruling opened the gateway for cells, tissues, genetically modified plants and animals, and genes to be patented. In the past 30 years, more than 40,000 patents have been granted on genes alone, says medical ethicist Harriet Washington. In her new book, Deadly Monopolies, Washington details how our tissues and genes are increasingly being patented by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Those firms, she argues, are focused more on their profits than on the medical needs of patients. Restrictive patents on genes prevent competition that can keep the medical cost of treatment down, says Washington. "[The patient] was told that he had to come to [the physician's] lab for tests ... in the name of vigilance to treat his cancer and keep him healthy," says Washington. The Relationship Between Universities And Pharmaceutical Companies "Edward R. hide caption
In Less than a Minute Alan Grayson Explains Occupy Wall Street to the 1% While on Real Time with Bill Maher former congressman, and future 2012 House candidate, Alan Grayson explained to the panel the 1% what Occupy Wall Street is all about. Here is the video: The latest edition of Real Time featured one of Bill Maher’s patented balance things out with three Republicans and a Democrat panels, but the Democrat was Alan Grayson. While P.J. fellow panelist P.J. O’Rourke broke out his bathing and hippie jokes, former Rep. Grayson schooled him on Occupy Wall Street. O’Rourke claimed that the Occupy Wall Street people flunked econ, and Grayson said, “No, listen Bill, I have no trouble understanding what they are talking about.” Alan Grayson demonstrated why all the media complaint’s about the unclear message behind Occupy Wall Street is nonsense. The right and many in the media will continue to make jokes and play dumb, but while they are laughing it up, a movement is growing.
Billion dollar bank, eight dollar job. « nathanbrooks I am really … really annoyed. That isn’t the word, but if my grandparents (or yours, or you … ) were reading, I would not want to use the choice words that come to mind. Let me set it up for you, for the past 2 years I am been trying … desperately, to bring a house that I own current, work out something with the bank so I could keep it, or get a short sale done. Don’t forget … I do this everyday! So, back and forth, back and forth … my bank for this property, which shall remain nameless, began the negotiation with all of my paperwork which we had to email/fax 2-3 times before they “found it.” Then, supposedly they asked for something which my realtor didn’t provide (BS!) They closed the file right, and now, today, after literally three weeks of sending back in all of the information the way “they want it”, they request another 4 page document to fill out. Whatever. What is the rant for. Want to read more about this kind of stuff… interesting article from not too long ago: Like this:
Franklin D. Roosevelt - American Heritage Center, Inc. On January 11, 1944, in the midst of World War II, President Roosevelt spoke forcefully and eloquently about the greater meaning and higher purpose of American security in a post-war America. The principles and ideas conveyed by FDR's words matter as much now as they did over sixty years ago, and the Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center is proud to reprint a selection of FDR's vision for the security and economic liberty of the American people in war and peace. “The Economic Bill of Rights” Excerpt from President Roosevelt's January 11, 1944 message to the Congress of the United States on the State of the Union It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. As our nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness.